Weekend Top 6 Picks for September 1 and 2, 2018

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Saturday September 1, 2018

1pm to 4:30pm $20 16th
Annual Sunburst Showcase of Celebrity Impersonators  The Showcases are TODAY (Friday) and Saturday! The Florida Hotel and Conference
Center located at The Florida Mall 1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando,
32809.  impersonators
will perform, delight and entertain the masses, including a special
Sunburst edition of “The Tonight Show”.  Plus, guests can get their
picture taken with their favorite “celebrity” during intermission and
following the showcases. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.SunburstShowcase.com.

3pm to 1am Free. 7th Annual ‘Great Irish Hooley’. Raglan Road Orlando Disney Springs™ The Landing, 1640 East Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista Florida. Raglan Road Orlando will host its 7th Annual ‘Great Irish Hooley’

celebrating
Irish song, dance, food and drink and kicks off with performances
beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, August 31 and continues each day and night
through late Monday, Sept. 3 until 1 a.m.

A traditional Irish
social celebration, the “Hooley” combines music ranging from trad to
rock tunes with entertainment and fun for the whole family with no cover
charge. The Hooley also will feature Celtic face-painting Saturday
through Monday.

8:30pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts at 800 Delaney Ave on the 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun!

Sunday September 2, 2018

10am to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

Noon to 3pm Donation based. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter Rev. Shawn Garvey. Members of the public are invited to visit our historic home museum on a
Sunday afternoon from 12 to 3 pm, listen to live music and take a tour
of our historic home museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by
trained docents.

10pm to Midnight Free but get a coffee. “Comedy Open Mic”. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 18 and 19, 2018

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Saturday August 18, 2018

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Commander’s Call. Museum of Military History 5210 West Irlo Bronson Hwy Kissimmee FL 34746. This ongoing program is held on the 3rd Sat of each month is designed to
appeal to families, military memorabilia collectors, history buffs,
re-enactors & others interested in military history. In addition,
persons interested in displaying, trading or selling their military
items such as honor coins, swords, photographs, military buttons, scale
model boats and planes, military art, uniforms or other equipment
register in advance by calling the museum to reserve a spot. Re-enactors and veterans are welcome to come in uniform to add to the history and authenticity of the military experience. Non-military booths such
as healthcare providers, home improvement, local attractions or other
businesses are invited to be vendors for minimal donation.

INFO and Register: 407-507-3894 or to register your table space.

4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free. Downtown DeLand Classic Car Cruise-In. East Indiana Ave Downtown DeLand, Deland FL. Classic cars and rods line East Indiana Avenue in Downtown DeLand. Live DJ, giveaways, shopping & dining. Every 3rd Saturday night!

INFO: & for showing your car 386-738-0649

8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Adults-Only Science Night Live. Adults & Seniors $15.95. Orlando Science Center 777 E Princeton St, Orlando, Florida 32803. Live from Orlando, it’s Science Night Live! On display will be a retrospective exhibit of my sketches done at the Science Center since 2009. 30 of the Analog Artist Digital World sketches will be on display through October 23, 2018.

It’s social. It’s science. It’s 21 and up!

Science
Night Live at Orlando Science Center is your chance to spark your
curiosity through our fun exhibits and programs…with some adult
beverages, of course! Bring your friends, or make it a date night, and
join us for a unique and ever-changing experience that proves there’s no
age limit on curiosity!
FEATURED EXPERIENCES:

• Hear a presentation from our guest speaker
• Immerse yourself in the world of superheroes, crime fighters, gadgets and spies in our traveling exhibit, Hall of Heroes
• View stars and planets with telescopes in the observatory (weather permitting)
• Experience giant-screen films in the Dr. Phillips CineDome
• Conduct lab experiments in Dr. Dare’s Laboratory
• Enjoy the latest exhibition on display in Fusion: A STEAM Gallery (Analog Artist Digital World Retrospective.)
• Delight in food and adult beverages available for purchase
• Experience the Science Center in a whole new way…without kids!

Sunday August 19, 2018

10 a.m. to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811.  The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 

1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Lake Eola Flow Jam – August. West side of Lake Eola Park in the shade of the trees right between the
red Japanese gazebo and the play ground – look for flow toys!

Join us again for our Third Sunday of the Month Flow Jam at Lake Eola!
Jam, flow, juggle, share & learn in the park. We are there to have a
good time with other flowmies looking for a fun and relaxing day of
prop manipulation goodness. We meet up around 1:00 PM.
All types of props and skill
levels are welcome! Bring water or other drinks, snacks, blankets,
chairs, etc. Just make sure to throw away all of your trash – this is a
LEAVE NO TRACE event.

10 p.m. to Noon Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for July 14th and 15th, 2018

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Saturday June 14, 2018

8 a.m. to 1p.m. Free. Parramore Farmers Market. The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your own
neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing Orlando,
and other community growers.

4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free. Young Voices. JB Callaman Center 102 North Parramore Ave Orlando FL. Teen Open Mic Every second Saturday of the Month.

5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Free.  10th Annual Bastille Day Celebration. Audubon Park Garden District, 3201 Corrine Dr #216, Orlando, FL 32803. French Market at Audubon, Wine and Cheese tasting, baguette fencing, live music and more. Oui oui!

Sunday June 15, 2018

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Lake Eola Farmers Market. Lake Eola, Orlando, FL 32801. Farm fresh produce in the heart of Orlando FL.

2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free. Vintage Market At The Abbey. The Abbey 100 South Eola Drive #100, Orlando, Florida 32801. The Abbey will be hosting its first Vintage Market. It will be a fun day of local vendors for your
shopping pleasure, food trucks, and drinks made by The Abbey’s amazing
bartenders. What better way to spend your Sunday Funday than by
supporting local businesses?
If you are interested in being a vendor, please contact us at gcvintageshop@gmail.com

10 p.m. to Midnight Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for May 12th and 13th

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Austin’s CoffeeSaturday May 12, 2018

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free. Parramore Farmers Market. The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your own
neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing Orlando,
and other community growers.

4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free. Young Voices. JB Callaman Center 102 North Parramore Ave Orlando FL. Teen Open Mic Every second Saturday of the Month.

8 p.m. to 10 p.m. $5. Second Saturdays in Sanford.  202 S Sanford Ave, Sanford, FL. Live music event featuring 2 stages, drink specials and more.

Sunday May 13, 2018

10 a.m. to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 

1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free. Family Day. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

10 p.m. to Midnight Free, but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Weekend Top 6 Pick for February 3rd and 4th.

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Saturday February 3, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM. Free. Parramore Farmers Market. The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. The Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across
from City View. Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your
own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing
Orlando, and other community growers.

10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday – $6.00 adults and $4.00 children. The Battle of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Festival.  Renninger’s Antique Center. 20651 U.S. 441, Mt. Dora, Fl. 32757.  Live Civil War Re-enactments, living history exhibits, folk
music, weaponry demonstrations, authentic camps and Sutlers, full scale
artillery, cavalry and soldiers in time-period uniforms and weaponry,
Civil War era Dress Ball, and more. Please see attached flyer for
times. CONTACT: Clay Townsend (407) 418-2075 or (407) 719-9866 ctownsend@forthepeople.com

To view forms and the photo gallery on-line, visit www.townsendfirm.com.

Battle of Townsend’s Plantation, Mount Dora, Florida

100 beautiful acres. All impressions, Great Cavalry Site!!! Dress
Ball with the 7 Pounds of Bacon Band, Ladies Tea, Sunday Church Service,
bounty for artillery.

This event is intended to be educational for children and adults
in the area of Civil War history and American’s heritage arts. Special
accommodations can be made for groups of students interested in
lectures and demonstrations. This is an outstanding opportunity for
photography and live film. Special arrangements will be made for set up
and hospitality.

 8 PM to 10 PM – Free. Shuffleboard. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL.

1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday February 4, 2018 

10 Am to Noon – Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 


4 PM to 6 PM – Free. Maitland Stage Band Concert. Rotary Plaza Outdoor stage. Art and History Museum 231 West Packwood Maitland FL. 


10 PM to Midnight – Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Weathering Hurricane Irma.

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I spent all morning looking for a coffee house with Wi Fi. My apartment has no power. I tried Stardust Video and Coffee first. A staff member was dumping water out the front door using a plastic trash pail. He let me know that Stardust was without power. A crew was cutting up a fallen Live Oak across the street. I tried Drunken Monkey next. The parking lot was full. I parked a few blocks away and walked in. There was a huge line for coffee. Nicki Drumb, who got an awesome grant to help create “Moving Art“ on Orlando’s Sun Rail, had her cup of coffee and gave me a hug in line. She let know that the Monkey had no Wi Fi. Ugh, I groaned. Next I tried the Orlando Public Library which had bombastic music piped in at the entrance. Unfortunately the library was closed. 

At this point I gave up my quest for a digital connection. Instead I sketched this fallen tree near my apartment. The neighborhood was coming alive with people walking their dogs to get out after being cooped up for several days because of Hurricane Irma. Baby Blue , the owner of the Venue stopped her car and asked me if I needed anything from my curbside sketching perch. A neighbor who was also out of power stopped to see my sketch and we chatted for a moment. It is amazing how catastrophe helps bring a community together. With my sketch done, I drove up to Winter Park, because The re was a rumor that Austin’s Coffee (929 West Fairbanks Road Orlando FL) was open and it had Wi Fi. Behind the counter the Batista’s mused,”We got Nihilism, we got musings in cool places,We got bad attitudes, oh and we got power.”  With an ice cold Yak and a Portabella Mushroom sandwich, I finally settled in to write this article.

The night before, power flickered off just as Pam Schwartz pulled a hot home made pizza out of the oven. We played cards by candle light as the winds picked up outside. I followed the eye of the four hundred mile wide storm on the radar app on my phone. South West coast of Florida as a category four Hurricane and it crept north at 15 miles per hour. The winds blew objects which rolled and scraped over the roof. The sky flashed a mysterious vibrant blue. Emergency vehicle lights strobbed and illuminated the trees a blood red. Something banged at the front and back of the house. Several intense wind bursts made it seem like The roof might lift.

The next morning clean up began. It seemed like half of the tree limbs had snapped off of the tree. Curb side piles grew to fortress proportions. Large trees were down in the neighborhood. With yard work out of the way curator Pam Schwartz and I drove south to check on the warehouse where the Orange County History Center‘s off site storage facility is housed. What we found was shocking and unexpected. A huge double rainbow spanned the horizon opposite the setting sun over the huge warehouse parking lot which was now a lake which was thigh deep.

Wednesday Open Words at Austin’s.

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When I go to Austin’s Coffee, (929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL), I always order an ice cold “Yak”, which is a flavor full iced coffee along with a Portobello Mushroom sandwich. I arrive a bit early, so I cs watch the Wednesday Open Words hosts clear the stag and set up the sound equipment. Heather was the host for the evening. She read first and I put he at the microphone in my sketch. Other literary types arrived, rehearsing their poetry or prose.

As always it was an entertaining and enlightening evening. I don’t understand how most people can go home from work and then isolate themselves by watching a TV in their dark living rooms. Going to these readings, I get to experience so many local stories. Open Words happens every Wednesday, get out and see what is happening in your community, and if you are brave enough, step up to the microphone.

Sketchy Broads offered fun sketching options for Orlando artists.

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Sketchy Broads are two models, Jenny Coyle and Lindsay Boswell, who love to come up with quirky costumes and pose for artists and photographers. The prices for an evening of sketching were, $10 for anyone who wishes to take reference photos. $7 for the full 2.5 hours of sketching (30 minutes of short poses and 2 hours of long poses) and $5 for just the long poses.

This particular evening the event was at Stardust Video and Coffee,  (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL). They always have quality lighting using photographers umbrellas. Personally I prefer a single spotlight to get strong shadows but I tend to focus on only one sketch while everyone else is doing the short poses.

The group had been meeting at Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL) but I do believe that the modeling sessions haven’t happened lately. Austin’s is a crowded spot to hold the events. I suspect that the turn out at these events might not have been enough to keep the event happening. I also know that Jenny was planning to start work on a film project and certainly once production began on that there would be no time left over for modeling. The last event I notice on Facebook was on December 5th of 2013.

Hip Hop Night at Austin’s Rocks the House

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Mondays are usually pretty slow event wise in Orlando. On June 2nd I discovered Hip Hop Night at Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL). The event runs every Monday and starts at 10pm. I got there early and ordered diner and a Yak iced coffee. The staging area was still set up for hipsters consuming food and information off the Internet. Eventually the stage was cleared so the DJ could set up his beats and a lone microphone was set up for performers.

This is an open mic night meaning anyone could perform. I met a comedian from SAK Comedy Lab who brings aspiring comics to the open mic to test their improv chops. A young woman stepped up to the mic and her first line of rap confessed that this was her first time. As the lines and rhymes fell into place the crowd cheered. With no script, this really was a tight rope walk with no net. Some performers were incredibly polished but the sound system and the rapid fire stream of lyrics made it difficult to keep up with the performances.

Mark Your Calendars! Hip Hop Night is every Monday night from 10pm to 2am at Austin’s Coffee. Be a voyeur like me or step up to the mic and see what happens. Regardless it is a fast paced inspired night.

Wednesday Open Words

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Every Wednesday at Austin’s Coffee, (929 West Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park FL) Curtis Meyer hosts an Open Mic called “Wednesday Open Words.” The evening starts at 8pm but I was in Winter Park and decided to go to Austin’s Coffee early to grab some diner. Students sat on the makeshift stage immersed in their laptops. The young woman seated across from me lounged on the couch intently reading a real paper bound book. I watched her expression as the read and at times she was visibly upset. Something horrible was going on in those pages. I imagined she might be reading “The Catcher in the Rye.” As I recall it had a red cover. When she got up to leave she noticed my sketch. I had to ask her what she was reading. It turned out that “The Hunger Games” was required reading for one of her classes.

Curtis arrived and gradually he cleared the stage and set up a microphone. The theme for the evening was Disney Animated Films. Having worked at Feature Animation, I had to be a bit of an expert on the decade of films I worked on. Curtis was very stoked about the film “Saving Mr. Banks” which stars Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. He insisted I go see it. To warm up the crowd, Curtis had everyone repeat, “Pink pajamas, penguins on the bottom.” It is a tongue twister which is rather fun to repeat again and again in succession. There were trivia questions between readers and I managed to guess the name of the dog in Disney Pixar’s “Up.” The dogs name was Dug. I won an odd green feathery pin with a yellow skull from “The Princess and the Frog.” It is now partially stained with black ink from one of my pens.

One particularly fun poem used all of the Disney made up words. It turns out that besides Supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus, there are many others that are just as strange. Curtis wanted to find one word that defines each Disney film plot. For instance Rapunzel, the word is Tangled. For Snow Queen the word is Frozen. For Little Mermaid the word might be pants. For Beauty and the Beast the word would be Stockholmed. This might make a good drinking game to whittle each film down to one word. One line from someones poem stuck with me, “The beauty of the world makes demands on us.

Curtis was great about being sure the audience respected how brave all the speakers were. Public speaking is a universal fear. Snapping fingers were encouraged when the poems were profound. Seda Gay spoke about four grown women who returned to the Disney theme parks together. Two of those women were now divorced but they all stepped back to their childhood relationships discovering where they left off. One poet was accompanied by a guitar player. He said most of his creative ideas were formed by the age of 11. He imagined flying being an everyday occurrence to get through our heavy Earth bound days. He was of course speaking as Peter Pan. Curtis chimed in, “All you got to do is believe.”